VOTE

Shannon A. Brennan

for St. John’s Health Board Trustee

November 5th, 2024

Shannon A. Brennan

MA, Public & Hospital Administration

Current Member, Teton County Board of Health

As a resident who has lived in the greater Yellowstone region for more than 35 years, I recognize the enormous value St. John’s brings to Jackson, Teton County, and Western Wyoming. We must be visionary in our strategies to ensure that St. John’s can address your needs and expectations for healthcare. As a member of the Board of Trustees, I will: 
  • Prioritize supporting the quality of care that St. John’s delivers by encouraging even stronger collaborations with patients, providers, and the greater community
  • Champion methods to support our clinical providers and staff in living and thriving locally as permanent residents
  • Encourage aggressive long-range planning to reflect enduring changes to the makeup of our community, especially since 2020
I will work diligently to build trust and support for these goals through community engagement, inclusion, and above all leadership transparency. 
I have a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis in hospital administration. My master’s residency involved supporting the merger of two medium-sized acute care hospitals, the development of their new joint campus, and the migration of the resulting hospital system from non-profit to for-profit status. Later, I served as the project manager for the Wyoming Health Systems Agency, where I was responsible for the review of all proposed uses of federal funds for healthcare facilities in Wyoming. My background includes extensive experience with large federal program and project management ($100m+), management accountability, and stakeholder relations on a national level. I also bring a strong background in risk management, forecasting, and decision analysis as well as a deep dedication to public awareness and involvement. St. John’s is YOUR hospital and I will represent YOUR interests as a  trustee.

  • St. John’s Health is a tremendous asset to Jackson and Teton County. The doctors, nurses, and professional and support staff have responded admirably to the recent pandemic challenges and population expansion, providing consistently high-quality care. I will ensure that care continues and improves, where possible.

  • The workforce and infrastructure are inadequately sized to meet the growth trends and technology challenges. To meet your future expectations and needs, serious planning based on credible forecasting is critical. I will contribute solid professional planning, based on verified needs data.

  • The workforce seeks and deserves stability and trust in its leadership. I commit to listening to both the management and the workforce, applying my skills in conflict resolution and negotiation to ensure that healthy, professional relationships are maintained and that issues are addressed openly, appropriately, and compassionately.

  • Increasingly, potential workers are choosing to bypass employment at SJH and current workers are leaving SJH because they cannot find housing. We cannot assume that the open housing market can accommodate our workforce anymore. Without workers, the hospital will close. SJH must innovate: provide the apartments proposed with SPET funds AND create a separate fund, supported by community contributions if at all possible, to fund a performance-based mortgage scholarship fund for personnel who seek to become permanent members of our community.

  • SJH has successfully weathered multiple pandemic-impacted fiscal years by managing funds to ensure no gaps in service. The fiscal reports reflect robust and accountable management of the operations during this time. Consistent with future needs, I will focus on ensuring a fiscal strategy for funding capital improvements, including the workforce apartments project, to ensure timely completion within budgets.

  • Most importantly, I will ensure a partnership with the citizens of Jackson and all of Teton County using local media, social media, town meetings, and other outreach methods, to ensure that all have access to the SJH Board and that the Board hears from its constituency about its needs and expectations. SJH is one of the largest organizations in the area, and most of us have had or will have in the future, a need to use its resources. This partnership and transparency through community inclusion and engagement is critical to SJH mission and to the well-being of the community.

Contact

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